S26.E12: Monster Truck Heroes

[Tara Ariano]

Season 26 ends with the final teams flying from Peru to Dallas where they go to great heights at the top of AT&T Stadium, visit a Texas cattle ranch and rappel 500 feet down the Reunion Tower.

[joshmaeks]

Intellectually I know this title isn't a spoiler that Mike and Rochelle win, but for some reason, Monster Truck Heroes keeps making me think they're talking about them. I guess we'll find out tonight!

[LizBug]

So excited to see Dallas area places that I know & love on TAR.  

[Spunkygal]

Me too, Dallas Gypsy! Check out the Reunion Tower Ball's twitters today! "It" is so excited about tonight's episode and has been tweeting with Hayley. Too bad it hasn't tweeted with Blair! Yum!

Yuck! I hate that media whore Jerry Jones so hate to see AT&T Stadium get any exposure.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Spunkygal

[LizBug]

Feel so bad for Rochelle &Mike. Such bad luck with cabs. But love their attitude and the respect they have for each other.

Edited May 16, 2015 by DallasGypsy

[PaperTree]

Feel so bad for Rochelle &Mike. Such bad luck with cabs. But love their attitude and the respect they have for each other.

Sorry they didn't pull it off.  

 

Hayley may have blown it!

[Spunkygal]

Heck, where were those monster trucks during the last few weeks of flooding??!!

[raven]

Damn I want to drive a monster truck!

 

 

Hayley may have blown it!

OMG that voice!  BlairBlairBlair help me make a decision!!!!

Edited May 16, 2015 by raven

[cooksdelight]

At least the selfies weren't a total waste, but the one couple who took so much time and missed their train are probably kicking each other now.

[mtlchick]

Well Hayley...all the yelling you did at Blair all season and you created your own downfall.

 

At least there was a point to the selfie photos but I wasn't a fan of this final task. That said I had to laugh at Tyler's "AMERICA!" when he passed Blair.  

 

And now I want to run a monster truck all over this season and try to pretend it never existed,

[cooksdelight]

YAY for the winners!! Anyone but Hayley. OMG, I wanted her to shut up this entire race, but especially tonight.

[gator12]

I am now convince that the left all those Hayley "Blair listen to me" because of the mistake in this episode. 

[cooksdelight]

With three blind date couples coming in 1-2-3, you just know they are going to do this again.

Phil: "You all came looking for love."

Blair: "Still looking...."

Best line of this entire show.

[Browncoat]

How in the hell did Hayley expect Blair to help her when she was the only one who had done the rappelling and seen anything?  He can't direct the cab driver if he has no idea where she was even looking.  But at least she owned her screw-up.

 

It does not hurt my feelings at all that Tyler and Laura won.  And at least the selfies were useful in the end.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Easily the most vain team rocks a selfie challenge to clinch TAR. Somehow it seems a fitting result for this particular season...

[raven]

 

I am now convince that the left all those Hayley "Blair listen to me" because of the mistake in this episode.

Gotta be.  At least we got some awesome facial expressions from Blair through most of it.  Jeez, and Blair carries her to thie finish now LOL.

 

The biggest issue with this season besides the "have you find lurve" angle was the blandness of almost everyone.  If they want to mix up teams with people who don't know each other, cast interesting, non-interchangeable people and leave off the dating angle, thanks show!!

[enlightenedbum]

Best result possible, considering.

 

Lame season overall.  Haylie probably gets invited back in some configuration.  Which will suck.  Matt and Ashley I think as well, which I won't mind so much.

 

As for this leg I only have two things to say.  1) Way to steal a lamer version of a TAR Canada task for your final leg and 2) At least they didn't make the women wear cheerleader outfits.

[PaperTree]

Congrats to Laura and Tyler.  It looked like J&J had them beat at the lock puzzle.

 

It is true karmic justice that it was 100% Hayley that screwed their chance at winning.

 

Blair is free!!!!!!!  He was just too cool tonight.  She couldn't rattle him.  Yelling at him to direct the cab was the ultimate of her stupidity and he mostly just tuned her out.

[cooksdelight]

If they want to mix up teams with people who don't know each other, cast interesting, non-interchangeable people and leave off the dating angle, thanks show

Yes!! Maybe people who are Internet friends, nothing romantic, but people who've never spent any real time together.

[truthaboutluv]

Oh how poetic. Hayley "Ms. I am always right and if you just listened to me we'd win" essentially cost them the race by screwing up on the tower task. And I loved how she still found a way to blame Blair when they were going the wrong place even though she was the one who did the task and said she was a 100 percent certain that's where the clue was. 

 

And my goodness, bless Blair. After all the shit he put up with in the race with Hayley's screeching, yelling, belittling and judgement, he stopped her from blaming herself for them losing the race and didn't get angry at her at all about it. And I can't believe the brat even got a piggy back ride to the finish line. Seriously, Blair is a saint. I really hope he gets to run the race again but with someone not harping at him at every second. 

 

Congrats to Tyler and Laura. They weren't my favorite racers by far but they were definitely a strong team who competed well and had a good partnership, so it was a well deserved win. The only thing that bugged me about their win was Tyler's attitude against Hayley and Blair (annoying as Hayley was) but still, good for them. And I'm impressed with how well they seem to gel considering they just met. They really had a very cool bond. And I had to lol at Jenni saying Jelani would make some woman very lucky. That couldn't be more of a "yeah there's nothing happening here between us."

Edited May 16, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[dgpolo]

I am now convince that the left all those Hayley "Blair listen to me" because of the mistake in this episode.

 

THIS!!

What was she thinking 'help me make a decision' he never saw what you saw!

 

After Mike and Rochelle were eliminated I didn't want Hayley to win or Jennifer so Laura and Tyler were it by default, I just wish Blair and Jelani could have won somehow.

[susannot]

Hated this season.. Don't ever do it again.  Despite Phil's adamant denials. the show tried desperately to become The Bachelor.

[Miss Chevious]

Sad to think had Blair been the one to do the rappelling challenge, their team might have had a different outcome. Hayley screwed up big time!

Happy for Laura/Tyler. They really seemed to work well together and have fun.

[TV Anonymous]

Ah, so that what the stupid selfies are for.

 

While the blind dates show that they are clearly stronger than the couples, I hope that this will not be a precedent for the future. But of course, it is by design. Blind daters are typically younger than couples.

 

I am glad that the fourth-team elimination gimmick takes the appropriate team as Rochelle and Mike is really a weak team.

 

Such failure bookends for Hayley. She fucked up the first challenge, the obstacle course and she fucked the last roadblock up.

 

I am a bit disappointed that teams do not wear Dallas Cowboys colors and logo. The star logo is not even on the end zone. Teams wore Liverpool FC kit in Liverpool. In TAR Canada teams wore Saskatchewan Roughriders jersey and Winnipeg Jets sweater. But I guess Dallas Cowboys and the NFL are in a whole other level.

[Lantern7]

Well, that season happened.

 

Seriously, can you really distinguish Laura & Tyler from the other winners? Or the other Racers in their season? I can't. Maybe they're comparable to Eric & Danielle, but that wouldn't be fair to Laura & Tyler. Still, a bland team wins a bland season.

 

At least Hayley didn't win. And at least Blair didn't haul off and deck her, which makes him a better person than me for not thinking about doing that. She blew it. She. Blew. It. Not as satisfying to watch as Dan flaming out of Survivor, but it's still pretty sweet to watch.

 

Damn, Mike & Rochelle got sucky cabbies. Couldn't the second guy run on fumes for a little while? I guess I wanted them to win because Mike represents big guys better than Dan and Will over on Survivor. Would've been a nice way to finish things up had they prevailed in the end, but it wouldn't have saved the season.

 

Anybody else want to see Phil officiate Matt & Ashley's wedding? Also: There are a lot of teams that could be invited back in the future. I know, weak season, but everybody north of Bergen & Kurt has valid reasons to race again.

 

Here's hoping TAR27 is an improvement, and that we get TAR28 soon after.

[joanne3482]

Poor Rochelle and Mike. That bad cab luck was such a bummer. 

 

The remaining cabbies were comic gold.

"Make a left"

"I can't turn left into a wall."

I don't know why I found that so funny.

 

Cabbie 1: It's the new bridge.

Cabbie 2: New bridge? Okay.

I haven't lived here that long so apparently I didn't know that the Continental Avenue Bridge was also known as New Bridge.

I would not have let any of these yahoos drive my monster truck. They fall over easily.

[Evie]

Tyler and Laura got on my nerves a bit, but they did a good job and deserved the win.

Blair had much more patience than I would when Hayley was screeching at him to make a decision and give the cabbie directions when he had no idea what or where they were going. At least she ended up owning her mistake. The piggy back ride was kind of cute. His comment about "Still looking" was funny. I wish we saw more of that fun side of Blair.

Jelani and Jenny were fine though her screaming during the football task was kind of scary. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

J&J got legitimately smoked on selfie challenge so I don't have much sympathy for them.....however I was ready to call minor shenanigans when Blair got to jump Jelani on the vertical zipline at Cowboy stadium after the graphics showed Jelani 3rd and Blair in 4th....and then Tyler and Laura passed them on the way to the horses or the monster trucks with no explanation.

Super thrilled that it was Hayley's blunder sealed their fate. I was mentally getting ready for B&H victory around the half hour mark and was not a happy camper. As others upthread commented, it absolutely felt like karma or poetic justice.

[HowdyTV]

I hope Jenny and Hayley really see themselves watching this season. That gift could end up being way greater than the million dollars.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I like both Laura and Tyler and Jelani and Jenny so I was happy with the outcome. And thank goodness this season is over for the sole reason of not having to hear Hayley's voice ever again.

[Vicky8675309]

Why do Tyler and Laura dislike Blair and Hayley so much? If they just said Hayley then I could have cheered for their win.

Blair was awesome and Hayley was annoying. I'm glad she owned her mistake but that doesn't make up for her yelling at Blair about helping with directions to the parking garage that only she had seen. I'm glad we didn't see them do the selfie task…I think Hayley was likely yelling at Blair and insulting him the entire time. Why should he listen to her--all she does is yell and blame and say "I told you so" for shit she didn't even tell him (Amsterdam & H-street). Yeah, listen to her tell you to go to a parking garage. Her mistakes wouldn't not have bothered me if she wasn't such a shrew.

Blair is going to make some woman happy one day---he seems upbeat, cheerful, easy going and can handle difficult people (ignore them)

Doesn't Hayley question why he doesn't listen to her or does she just think it is a fault of his rather than a reaction to her. Maybe watching this back she will figure it out and gain some self awareness

I liked Mike and Rochelle a lot but was also happy they were first out since Rochelle got an assist on the last challenge the previous episode and they all got bunched up on the flight which made placement of the prior episode irrelevant (no elimination and bunched up on the flight). Ok, it wasn't a "leg" technically but it didn't sit well with me so I am happy they are out first even though I liked the team.

I liked Tyler and Laura until they started hating on other teams. They weren't OTT about it but it still seemed to be unprovoked so I didn't get it. At least they were a competent team for the most part. Some screw ups but overall strong and smarter than I initially thought. I just didn't like them including Blair in their negative comments.

[mtlchick]

 

In TAR Canada teams wore Saskatchewan Roughriders jersey and Winnipeg Jets sweater. But I guess Dallas Cowboys and the NFL are in a whole other level.

I can see the NFL bitching about licensing fees for the show to say "Mmmm...pass."  Side note: the Tar Canada promo was so damn cheesy.

[TV Anonymous]

Oh, one more thing. The indicator that the blind date experiment does not work. Tyler whispers that he has a hot cowgirl, while he has Laura who is not less hot available by his side.

[cooksdelight]

Hayley's voice sounds a lot like a cat in heat. Getting it on in the bushes with a big ol' tomcat.

[ChuChu]

I think that a lot of the comments in the "interviews" are answering questions that they are asked, so I take those "we must beat Hayley and Blair" comments as prompted by the producers.  Producer: "How would it feel to get beat by a team that bickers as much as Hayley and Blair?"  Laura / Tyler: "That would be terrible.  We have to beat Hayley and Blair."

[Pepper the Cat]

Well, I enjoyed the episode. I like Laura and Tyler and was happy to see them win.

[Vicky8675309]

outside the building/tower and in the cab, Tyler again made some comment about not wanting to lose to Hayley and Blair. Those didn't seem producer prompted (maybe but then the editing was good if there were producer provoked)…but I agree that some of the other times were likely prompted by producers.

[jah1986]

I'm not disappointed with this season overall, although I hope they don't do this kind of experiment again.

 

Gotta love Hayley insisting Blair help her when he wasn't up there with her. I loved his "I'd do the race again with Hayley if she promised not to yell at me" that's the nice was of saying I would never do this race again with her even if you paid me a million dollars.

 

Felt bad for Mike and Rochelle, they could not catch a break with the transportation. But I don't understand the taxi leaving them at the stadium saying he couldn't wait. What?!? Don't pay him and he won't leave. Oh well, they were never going to win.

 

Jenny and Jelani seemed like they had a chance and just couldn't get the selfies right, I still don't understand where they went wrong there.

 

I still wish the finales were longer than 1 hour.

[Spunkygal]

Poor Rochelle and Mike. That bad cab luck was such a bummer. 

 

The remaining cabbies were comic gold.

"Make a left"

"I can't turn left into a wall."

I don't know why I found that so funny.

 

Cabbie 1: It's the new bridge.

Cabbie 2: New bridge? Okay.

I haven't lived here that long so apparently I didn't know that the Continental Avenue Bridge was also known as New Bridge.

I would not have let any of these yahoos drive my monster truck. They fall over easily.

Not sure about this, but I think the Continental Avenue Bridge runs parallel to the newer, pricey, more photographic Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which in some circles is known as The Bridge to Nowhere.

[upside down]

The least offensive of the final three won. Crappy season. But then again, all the shows I watch have had crappy seasons this year. Please don't try to be the dating game again. Just race.

[ElleryAnne]

I nearly put the show on mute by about ten minutes into it.  I don't mind Hayley, but oi - can't the editors make their point without killing the audience?

 

I liked Tyler and Laura well enough, but I'm meh on them winning. Once the race was down to only blind-date teams, I really didn't care who won.  One of the things I usually enjoy about the Race is the pre-existing relationship part and having siblings/parents/friends/etc among the mix.  Three random blind dates?  Nah, I just couldn't care.

 

Revisiting the selfies for the final memory task?  Blergh.

 

I hope next season gets back to being the show I love.

[dgpolo]

Thinking about it, it's not so much that the blind daters won as a young fit team won. The blind date teams were heavily young and fit, those teams always have an advantage in just being able to 'power' through things. I know this isn't always so but I think there is a reason the majority of winners have been all male teams or young, strong teams. It took a long time for an all female team to win or an older couple.

[Uwbadgmad]

I know I'm in the minority, but I was really rooting for Hayley and Blair to win.  They were my favorite team from the beginning so I was bummed.   But even if they didn't win, I was definitely on the anyone but Tyler/Laura by the end, so ugh!   I'm hoping with that answer to Hayley/Blair at the end there that we'll actually see Hayley/Blair on a later installment of the race because I had a ball watching them.

 I too really wanted Blair and Hayley to win. I loved Blair's wit and his excitement on the mat and really enjoyed them together especially when they came in first the last two weeks. I could always count on funny remarks from Blair no matter what he had been through dealing with Hayley throughout the race. 

 

I liked Tyler and Laura at the beginning but didn't enjoy their snotty remarks the last half of the season. I was really disappointed in their win.

 

And I enjoyed having contestants who knew each other before the race or were married along with contestants who joined up with partners as strangers. I found it a very interesting social experiment and really enjoyed this season.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Uwbadgmad

[Vyas]

It took a long time for an all female team to win or an older couple.

 

Yes on the first point, no on the second - Dave O'Leary from S24 was accompanied by his much younger son Connor, unless you meant Chip and Kim from S5?

 

Speaking of whom, it was a pity that Colin failed to make a cameo.

 

 

[auntieminem]

I love this show but this season was a sorefest.  I really hope they don't try this blind date twist again.  I am impressed that a couple of the blind date teams managed to work so well together.  That being said, it was just not a fun or even dramatic season.  I didn't even care who won so I am ok with the Tyler and Laura winning.  Going in I was hoping for Rochelle and Mike but as soon as they left their cab I knew that would be their downfall.  They didn't tell him to wait (or they didn't show them telling him) but something about that scene made me think they had not.  

[cooksdelight]

If nothing else, my dog Scooby-Doo was absolutely enthralled with the cattle and horses.

 

[vousviou]

Thinking about it, it's not so much that the blind daters won as a young fit team won. The blind date teams were heavily young and fit, those teams always have an advantage in just being able to 'power' through things. I know this isn't always so but I think there is a reason the majority of winners have been all male teams or young, strong teams. It took a long time for an all female team to win or an older couple.

 

That's a great point about how the young fit "blind daters" had an advantage.  I think there's potential in having strangers matched on teams if they were done more with an eye toward balance, but that would have obviously messed up the crazy notion that this show could work as a dating game, and whatever network exec greenlighted this theme never would have gone for something like making the races competitive.

[sportsgirl]

I am the (only?) person who LOVED this season.  Loved it.  Almost every freakin' second (minus Steve/Aly's KF double-leg implosion).

 

Three of my least favorite racing types are the Alpha Male Bro teams, the "we're going to flirt our way to the finals" teams who can race in full makeup but can't read a map, and the self-righteous "we've got this because our relationship/friendship/brothership is stronger than yours." Those types were no where to be seen (especially after week 2, when it became clear to the teams that having a pre-existing relationship was no advantage). The teams felt a lot more even from the start, and focused more on actually racing than working through their whatever -- half of them didn't care, and the other half gave the impression that the Race would have no affect whatsoever on their dating life. (OK, Rochelle's son can now meet Mike. And Phil gets to officiate Matt & Ashley's wedding.) 

 

Admittedly, the fourth type I dispise is the couples who arguments are painful indicators of their back-home life. Sure Hayley was annoying to Blair -- but only temporarily so. He had nothing invested in their partnership; 21 days around the world with her, and he was done. (And Blair seemed much cooler with Hayley than any of us watching -- or any of the other racers.)

 

I adore Tyler & Laura -- great racers, kept their cool, were smart when they needed to be, and they didn't turn on each other.  Loved their focus on winning the race and how well they worked together.  Would I have liked Tyler and his friend who originally applied together, who would have surely been Alpha Bros? Probably not. But I loved him as one-half of THIS team.

[Haleth]

Mike and Rochelle can't blame bad taxis. I heard him distinctly say, "yeah, that's all" to the cab driver at the football stadium. He dismissed their cab. (No, Mike, is wasn't that the driver couldn't wait for you.). I knew right then that they'd be eliminated.

Congrats to Tyler and Laura. Any of the 3 would have been ok with me. I feel bad for Blair though and agree he is some kind of saint for being so calm about Hayley's screw up.

I don't mind watching teams of strangers as long as they lose the "looking for love" gimmick.

[MerBearHou]

Loved the finale in Texas!! Cool challenges in the stadium (I would have loved going to the top of the stadium), rounding up cattle on horse back, and the Monster Trucks.

I literally had the tv on Mute when Hayley was speaking. I couldn't take it any longer. I would have hated for her to win, but I would have loved for Blair to win. I love the karma that she was the one who blew it in the finale. Blair is a saint.

Jenny is too intense for me and I'm glad she didn't win, but I really, really was impressed with her graciousness in defeat and the very nice things she (justifiably) said about Jelani. ETA: I muted when Jenny was yelling at Jelani at the football stadium -- just.too.much.

I like Laura and Tyler very much throughout the race and thought their dynamic was the best of anyone. They were good-natured and smart. I'm delighted with their win.

Happy for Rochelle and Mike that the race solidified their relationship. They seem to be good, solid, genuine people.

I enjoyed the season -- but I always do -- and was pleased with the outcome. Only huge, glaring negative for me was Hayley. She is impossible for me to tolerate.

Edited May 16, 2015 by MerBearHou